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  4. CBP Officers Make Heroin Seizure at Santa Teresa Port

CBP Officers Make Heroin Seizure at Santa Teresa Port

Release Date
Fri, 10/13/2017

SANTA TERESA, NM -- U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations officers working at the Santa Teresa port of entry seized 9.5 pounds of heroin Thursday. The drugs were concealed within the transfer case of a vehicle.

 

“Smugglers went to considerable lengths to conceal this drug load. The layers of enforcement CBP employs helped our officers locate and stop this shipment,” said Jesse Proctor, CBP Santa Teresa acting Port Director.

 

The seizure was made just after noon Thursday at the Santa Teresa port when a male Mexican citizen driving a 2005 Chevrolet 2500 pickup truck applied for entry at the primary inspection station. The CBP primary officer referred the driver and vehicle to secondary for an intensive inspection.

 

A CBP drug sniffing dog alerted to the vehicle during a secondary exam. CBP officers continued their inspection and noticed anomalies in the appearance of the vehicle. CBP officers located nine black packages concealed within the transfer case of the truck. The contents of the packages tested positive for heroin.

Drug bundles in transfer case.
Drug bundles in transfer case.

 

CBP officers took custody of the 28-year-old man and turned him over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, which is investigating the case

 

The seizure was one of six made by CBP officers working at El Paso area ports of entry Thursday. They also seized 395 pounds of marijuana in five additional busts.

 

While anti-terrorism is the primary mission of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the inspection process at the ports of entry associated with this mission results in impressive numbers of enforcement actions in all categories.

Last Modified: Feb 03, 2021